CNBC:
Russia’s response to Iran’s call for help is being closely watched on Monday after the U.S. bombed Tehran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend — but Moscow might not be quick to offer its ally a hand.
The attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, which President Donald Trump described as an “obliteration,” has left the Islamic Republic scrambling for support from the few friends it has on the global stage. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi headed to Moscow on Monday for “serious consultations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin over how to answer the assaults.
Iran has helped Russia with military drones throughout the war in Ukraine, but analysts now say there might be very little Moscow can or will to do to reciprocate.
“Iran has massively supported Putin’s war against Ukraine with weapons and technology. On his trip to Moscow, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi may now ask Moscow to return the favour,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said in a note Monday.
“However, Putin has probably little to offer beyond some words. He needs his weapons himself for his continued aggression against Ukraine,” he noted.
Russia also has to tread a fine line between placating and assisting ally Iran and keeping the U.S. sweet, as it looks to re-establish ties with Donald Trump’s Russia-friendlier administration.
“If Putin were to annoy Trump over Iran in any significant way, Trump may change tack and impose new heavy sanctions on Russia and/or weaken Putin’s position in other ways,” Schmieding said.
So far, Moscow’s response to the escalating crisis has been muted, with Russia calling on Iran and Israel to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis.
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